Hi AL

Yes, like you, I want to see a full draft. And I have a week left to get it done! I start work back in the civil service next Friday, and I want to have the whole thing written by then, so I can then read it all again in one go, and go over it again and do another edit, before sending it to my supervisors in mid-July. In the last 3 weeks I've rewritten 8 chapters, and have 3 to go.

It's killing me - am up at 6:30am, working solidly through till 10:30 or sometimes later most days, although there's always life admin needing to be done too, plus a sick dog needing attention. I'm tired, I'm soooo sick of sitting here every day, but I'm getting there. Only another 3 weeks of this, and the complete draft will be done. I'm afraid my sups are going to write all over it again, and I won't get it all finished by September, but I guess I just have to wait and see.

Have also been fantasising about rewards after I submit, and going to a really fancy restaurant. Am wondering if spending the equivalent of a week's scholarship on a meal in one of the world's best restaurants is obscene, or if it's a justified reward...? Frivolities to take my mind off the thesis!!

Hope everyone else is travelling ok too.

======= Date Modified 23 Jun 2010 21:37:36 =======
Hey, only you know if this works for you. I also had a similar schedule, right through my PhD, and coped OK with the long hours. I'm in the final stages at the moment, so am working 6:30am to 10:30pm, with a gym/dinner break most days, and that's all. You should also schedule in some whole days off tho, so you get a decent break and don't burn out.

Oh, poor Chris!! Am very sorry to hear that, and am also sending big virtual hugs. Keep going, get this horror over and done with, get it out of the way. Can you take a holiday at all? Maybe plan some nice things to do with friends once your done. Life needs to be more than academia!

Hey Monte, glad you're feeling a bit better now. Enjoy your time off! I know how hard it is to take time off without feeling guilty, but we all need to do this sometimes. And congratulations on the job - that's brilliant!!

I had an evening off last nite and am also having a morning off now, after I had a melt down yesterday. Working 15 hour days finally got to me and I cracked up, so went and had some fun and am relaxing a bit now. But jeez I hate the thesis, I think it's really badly written, and the work just seems never ending. Anyway, will keep plodding along...

Hope everyone else is going ok too.

Well done Matilda!! That's excellent!! You must feel fabulous! Almost done!!! Have you done all your referencing? And all the other bits and pieces - the table of contents, the appendices etc? If you have, you could always do another proof read. And maybe think about writing an article? But then, who wants to start something like that, this close to the end...?

And enjoy some time off!

That's excellent AQ - he's finally recognised your hard work and brilliance!! Wow - great that you've had a good day! These make it worthwhile. Enjoy it while it lasts, god knows they're few and far between...

I've been still working like a demon, altho on the week-end I pulled a muscle in my neck while I was asleep (what a loser thing to do!). Had to spend a day in bed doped up on pain killers, while my sweet partner ran around for me...am ok now, and off to see a physio. Am sure looking the studying is to blame...and have been having nightmares about uni too, but oh well, part of the territory...

Am plodding through rewriting many chapters, and very, very slowly getting there. I have concerns that my sups are going to think it's still crap - they're still writing all over my work, even at the third draft stage, and am now living in fear that they're going to make me rewrite it all again, which would mean I'd miss my September deadline. But am trying to not think about that, and am just plodding away...4 weeks, 3 days to a full draft!

And looks like it's just you and me on this thread AQ! Where's everyone else???

Hey Cakeman, just had to respond. I've fulfilled all of those criteria, and the PhD's still torturous. My sup is fab; I already have a career (somewhat now destroyed thanks to the PhD); work and used to volunteer in my research area anyway; and a PhD in my country is free for domestic students.

But it's still awful. The research and field work were kinda enjoyable, but I've hated writing up, and the way the PhD has affected my life has not been worth it. So, for me, I don't think there's ever any way doing a PhD could be ok - only, possibly, if you were absolutely guaranteed a decent paying job in academia.

OK, I've ramped up the studying. I'm generally really productive and am well used to putting in long hours, but now I really have to get into it. I need to have a full draft done in just over 5 weeks, otherwise I won't graduate until November next year, and I can't bear that thought. I've stayed up till midnight the last 2 nites (late for me!!) and been back at my desk working by 7am. Already I feel exhausted, brain dead, a bit fluey, and my eyes and back hurt. I think my writing is getting worse instead of getting better. Any tips on how to get thru this not-quite-last push would be welcome.

I've rewritten 17,000 words in the last 4 days and have another 80,000 to go and then read and edit the whole thing again. Erk, I shouldn't think in terms of words counts...my turn to go crazy here!!

I force myself to go to the gym and eat well, regardless of the time it takes. I study all day, then go to the gym for an hour, then come home, cook a proper meal and eat. Days when I do this means I lose about 3 hours study time, but to me there's no choice - I have to go to the gym and eat well to stay healthy. The gym is also a welcome relief from the desk and from thinking about the thesis. Even now, in the last few months of writing up, I follow this routine. Study around lab, gym and cooking times.

Chrisrolinski, if he's helped you, I'd include him in the acknowledgements. Yeh, this will date, but it is reflective of this period of your life. And any future partners will understand - it's not like you haven't been in other relationships before them! I'm going for thanking partners, friends etc, I think I need to do more than just thank funding bodies etc, but I won't be too gushy.

Keep going Chrisrolinski!! You're almost done!! And that will feel soooo good (not to mention weird, and probably a bit of a let-down too - anyway, I digress). Keep going! You're an inspiration to us all!!

======= Date Modified 05 Jun 2010 09:07:28 =======
Hey AQ

Sorry to hear you're feeling so rubbish - it's not surprising, you have a lot on your plate. Are there things you can not do? Just say no too? What can you strip away, so you can just finish your thesis? Or how else can you get help? Can friends cook some meals for you, get groceries in for you, or something like that? Can your bf do anything to help (rather than argue with you?) And sorry to hear you're crying - but as someone told me - it's a sign you're getting close to finishing! Breathe, work out what's most important to do, and just do one thing at a time. Hope your talk went well....

And it does seem that towards the end of a PhD, that other stressors come in to play to make our lives even more difficult. You're moving, I have to start back at work - the timing to start new things at the end of thesis is absolutely awful, but it seems this is how it goes....keep going, it'll be over soon.

I gave a guest lecture today, which I really enjoyed and the students seemed quite engaged too, so that was nice. Reminds me that this thesis I'm so over is worthwhile after all...And a big moment for me - have set the date to submit - 17 September!!! Woo woo! Which means I need to get a complete draft done in 6 weeks, which means 6 weeks to rewrite about 80,000 words!!!! Eeeekkk!!! Am hoping some of my 11 chapters won't take me longer than a few days each...

The light at the end of the tunnel is definitely more than just a little flame now....

Well done everybody!!! Huge, huge congrats!!

Whdaya insane DanB? Even suggesting a such a thing is madness!! I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than do another PhD. I'd much rather a job as a post-doc or researcher, rather than the pain and anguish of another PhD.

24 is not old. Many of us here started PhDs in our 30s, 40s and older. As others have mentioned, you can make money later. However, you need to really, really, want to do a PhD, and I'm not sure you sound like you do, at the moment. It's a really long, hard road, many parts of it are enjoyable, but overall, it's a gruelling, isolating slog. You need to have enough interest in your area to be able to study it for years, on your own, with little feedback, and be able to keep motivated. You might want to consider working for a while, then coming back to a PhD when you've learnt more about yourself and want you really want to do.